An autopsy has confirmed that a Black student at Delta State University who was found hanging from a tree on campus died by suicide, police announced.

An autopsy by the Mississippi state medical examiner's office has confirmed that a Black student at Delta State University who was found hanging from a tree on campus died by suicide. File Photo by Justin Lane/EPA UPI

Sept. 19 (UPI) -- An autopsy by the Mississippi state medical examiner's office has confirmed that a Black student at Delta State University who was found hanging from a tree on campus died by suicide, police announced Thursday.

The autopsy findings were consistent with the initial investigation and preliminary examination by the local coroner's office, according to the Cleveland, Miss., Police Department.

The body of Demartravion "Trey" Reed, 21, of Grenada, Miss., was found hanging from a tree on campus near the pickleball courts Monday morning.

"My condolences go out to the family of Trey Reed and all who knew and loved him. I also applaud the quick work of the Cleveland Police Department, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and Delta State University to bring closure to his family, and I condemn the rumors circulating regarding his death," said Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell.

Police said the case remains an active investigation.

The way Reed died and the state's history of racial violence has evoked suspicions and worry that extend from students and online commentators to more prominent voices.

Social media posts circulated claiming that both of Reed's legs were broken and he was suffering other injuries that would have made hanging himself impossible, The Mississippi Clarion Ledger reported.

That prompted the Bolivar County Coroner's office to issue a statement to local media indicating that Reed "did not suffer any lacerations, contusions, compound fractures, broken bones, or injuries consistent with an assault" and that their investigation was ongoing.

"Final toxicology results are pending, and may take two to four weeks to complete," police said in a news release. The release said all files and materials tied to the investigation have been turned over to the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office for review.

Tindell told Mississippi Today that the rush to judgment was "a gross misrepresentation of where we are in Mississippi."

"It's frustrating," he said of the lynching rumor. "Suicide is such a tragic situation. I don't know anybody that hasn't been impacted by it. We need to do more to raise awareness and for those who need help to get help."

Delta State University's enrollment for last year was over 2,600 students, more than 40% Black. The campus is in Cleveland, Miss., which is just west of the county and sites associated with the lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till.

Jy'Quon Wallace, president of the African American Student Council, said he saw Reed on Sunday, the day before his death, in a heated discussion on the phone, USAToday reported.

"I woke up that morning and heard that they found someone hanging from a fruit tree near Blansett Hall. You wonder, who could it be?" said Wallace, 20. "They said it was a Black person with red hair. I was thinking I just saw this guy with a red hair accessory on. Then, more description came out, and it was a red hair accessory and not red hair. I had just seen this guy the previous night."

Student Paris Ricks said Reed's death was a tragedy that she struggled to understand.

"It's sad," Ricks said. "I'm still concerned, but I do feel safe," Mississippi Today reported.

She still takes precautions. "Walk home in groups, especially if it's at night," she said. "I'm always looking around at my surroundings."

The same day Reed's body was discovered, Cory Zukatis, 36, was found dead hanging from a tree in a wooded area in Vicksburg, the Clarion Ledger reported. Police told the paper they do not believe the deaths are related and described Zukatis as a white, homeless man.